The Dance
by JayColin
Summary: SLASH Clark/Oliver - Clark and Oliver have been secretly dating since Clark's summer in Metropolis. Now with his senior prom fast approaching, Clark thinks it's time they make their relationship public. The question is, does Oliver agree?


The Dance  
>By J.C. Vascardi<p>

Disclaimer: All characters and places featured in this story that relate to the television show Smallville are the property of its creators. I am not profiting from this story and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The only things about this story that I own are the storylines, places, and characters that are not featured on the show.

-o-0-o-

Chapter One of One

-o-0-o-

Clark awoke to the sun shining in his eyes and smiled. He could smell the faint aroma of bacon frying downstairs and knew that his mom was making another of her fabulous breakfasts. With his super-hearing, he could also hear the steady drip of the coffee maker and the slight crinkling of paper as his father turned the page of the morning newspaper. Of course, none of that was the real cause for the smile on his face. No, the real reason that Clark was smiling was the warm body that he could feel pressed up against his own.

For the last two years, ever since Clark had spent the summer in Metropolis under the influence of red kryptonite, Clark has been secretly dating the billionaire CEO of Queen Industries – one Oliver Jonas Queen. They met in one of the city's many nightclubs and it wasn't long before they were virtually inseparable. When Jonathan Kent showed up to force Clark to return home to Smallville, Oliver was horrified to learn that his lover was only sixteen, knowing that if that information ever got out, he could be arrested.

In a tearful goodbye, Clark and Oliver agreed that perhaps it was for the best that they not see each other anymore, but their self-imposed separation from one another did not last very long. Jonathan and Martha Kent were a bit shocked to learn that Clark was bisexual, but they weren't upset – all they cared about was Clark being happy and they could both clearly see that Clark was miserable without Oliver. So, despite the age difference and the fact that Clark was still underage, Jonathan drove to Metropolis, hoping that Oliver would still be there.

-o-0-o-

_Stepping into the elevator, Jonathan Kent sighed as he pressed the button that would lead him to Oliver Queen's penthouse. A part of him thought that maybe he was crazy to be doing this, but he knew that his son was miserable. Jonathan could see just by the way Clark talked about Oliver that the depth of feeling that Clark felt for the older man was much deeper than anything Clark had ever felt for Lana Lang and that the separation was killing him. Clark's grades had begun to suffer and he spent more and more time in the loft crying his eyes out over his lost love. Jonathan and Martha couldn't bear to see their son so miserable, so Martha practically ordered Jonathan to go to Metropolis and talk to Oliver – although, Jonathan probably would have gone anyway._

_Reaching the top floor, Jonathan pressed the button to let Oliver know that someone was there to see him – since Jonathan did not have the necessary code to open the entrance into the penthouse from inside the elevator._

_"Yes?" the voice of Oliver Queen asked over the intercom._

_"Mr. Queen?" Jonathan asked. "It's Jonathan Kent – Clark's father, I'd like to talk to you, if possible."_

_The door moved up as Jonathan slid the gate open and stepped into Oliver's penthouse, to find Oliver standing there wearing only a pair of sweatpants and wiping sweat of his bare chest with a white towel._

_"Please forgive my lack of a shirt," Oliver said with a smile, "but I was in the middle of working out when you arrived. Can I get you anything?"_

_"No, I'm fine," Jonathan said. "Mr. Queen..."_

_"Oliver."_

_"Okay, Oliver," Jonathan said. "Anyway, I'm going to get straight to the point here. Since the two of you have been apart, my son has been miserable and I want to know how you've been handling it. I want you to be honest – don't worry, I'm not going to call the police or anything."_

_"To be honest, I haven't been coping well." Oliver answered, "I've certainly done my best to hide it, throwing myself into my work and exercising more than what is necessary or even healthy, but I've been miserable as well. I've tried to get over your son, because he is only sixteen and I certainly don't want to go to jail, but I just can't seem to get him out of my thoughts... or my heart."_

_Jonathan remained silent for a moment, before he asked, "So, you do love him then?"_

_"More than I've ever loved anyone, Mr. Kent," Oliver responded. "Why?"_

_"Well, Martha and I talked," Jonathan answered. "And we both agree that Clark's moping simply can't continue – his grades in school have started to suffer and he spends most of his time alone crying. So, if you still want to be with Clark, Martha and I will allow you to date him, provided that you agree to not do anything more physical than kissing and hugging until Clark's eighteenth birthday."_

_Oliver's face cracked into what was probably the brightest smile that Jonathan had ever seen on anyone and said, "If it means I can be with Clark, I'd gladly wait a hundred years to have sex with him. I love him and just being with him is enough."_

_Jonathan smiled and said, "Okay, well, why don't you go get cleaned up and put some clothes on and then we can head back to Smallville. I'll wait downstairs in my truck."_

_Oliver shook his head and said, "Better yet why don't you make yourself comfortable right here and then you can take us to the airport. I'll have my assistant drive your truck back to Smallville and we'll take the Queen Industries helicopter – it's a lot faster than driving and means less time that Clark has to be miserable."_

_"As tempting as that is," Jonathan said, "I think it might look a bit suspicious for your helicopter to suddenly land at my farm. Due to the fact that Clark is only sixteen, it would probably be best if the two of you kept your relationship a secret – you can openly be friends, but anything romantic should remain hidden."_

_Oliver nodded and said, "I understand. In that case, why don't you head back to Smallville alone and I'll drive down in my car after I've freshened up and changed clothes. That way you won't have to drive me back here."_

_"All right," Jonathan agreed. "I'll see you back at the farm in a few hours then, Oliver."_

_Oliver nodded and Jonathan headed back downstairs to his truck – thankful that his son's agonizing misery would be over by the end of the day. True, there was still a small part of him that was a little uncomfortable with the idea of his son being in love with Oliver. It wasn't the fact that Oliver was a man, because Jonathan was not homophobic – one of his best friends in high school was gay. It was more the age difference that Jonathan had a problem with and he really wasn't sure that Clark could honestly feel such deep emotion at his age._

_"Oh god," Jonathan thought to himself as he got back into his truck. "Now I sound like my parents." Thinking back to his own teenage years, he remembered his first love – a girl named Leslie. He was sure that he was completely head over heels in love with her and he'd had a huge fight with his parents, because they thought that a sixteen-year-old couldn't possibly understand what it really meant to be in love. Jonathan knew that he was in love though and his parents eventually came to understand that._

_Jonathan was determined not to allow history to repeat itself, however, because it had been Leslie's tragic death in a car accident that had finally convinced Hiram and Jessica Kent that their son was truly in love with Leslie. Jonathan remembered all too well the pain he had felt and he was determined to make sure that if Clark's heart really did lie with Oliver, that he would not only do everything in his power to protect Clark, but also Oliver, as he didn't want Clark to ever know the pain of losing the person he was in love with._

_Arriving back at the farm, Jonathan got out of his truck and headed into the kitchen. Kissing Martha on the cheek, he said, "You may want to set an extra place for dinner tonight."_

_"He's coming then, I take it?"_

_"Yeah," Jonathan said. "He's coming."_

_"Did he agree with the condition?" Martha asked – the concern evident on her face. Jonathan knew that a part of Martha was just as uncomfortable as he was in the thought of their sixteen-year-old son dating a twenty-two-year-old man, but if it made Clark happy, that's all that really mattered._

_"Yes, he did," Jonathan said. "He said he'd wait a hundred years to have sex with Clark if he had to and that just being with him is enough."_

_"Well, it sounds then like he really does love our son."_

_"Yeah, I think he does, Martha," Jonathan said. "I really think he does."_

-o-0-o-

Clark was ecstatic that evening when he came downstairs for dinner to find Oliver sitting at the kitchen table. He was thrilled when his parents told him that they were willing to allow him to date the older man – provided they stick to the one condition that they refrain from having sex until Clark turned eighteen. As a teenager, the brunet's hormones were constantly in overdrive and the fact that he'd already had sex with Oliver and knew just how amazing the blond was in bed did not help matters, but if not giving in to the urge meant that he could date the older man then he was more than happy to comply with his parents' wishes. True, it wasn't always easy, but, Clark loved Oliver with all his heart and he was more than willing to wait.

Soon after that night, Oliver moved the main headquarters of Queen Industries to Metropolis, because he didn't want to have to always go back to Star City for business and be away from Clark for extended periods of time. His board of directors hadn't exactly been in favor of the move, because despite Metropolis being a major city, they felt that Star City was the better location. They couldn't really do anything about Oliver's decision, however, because he was the majority shareholder of Queen Industries, which meant the choice was ultimately his and his alone.

Clark and Oliver's relationship flourished. Of course, aside from Jonathan and Martha, only two other people knew that Clark and Oliver were more than friends – Pete Ross and Chloe Sullivan. Pete was a bit shocked at first to find out that his childhood best friend was bisexual and in love with a man, but he would have had to be blind not to notice that Oliver made Clark happier than he had ever seen him. It also didn't hurt that Oliver was super rich and had a lot of interests in common with Pete – such as sports cars and basketball. As for Chloe, she was a little disappointed because she still had a crush on Clark, but she had to admit that Clark and Oliver made one hell of a cute couple and if being with Oliver made her friend happy, that's all that really mattered to her.

While attending Excelsior Academy, Oliver had become quite a good actor in terms of hiding his true feelings. On the outside, he was the tough and confident Oliver Queen who was basically the King of Excelsior society. On the inside, however, hidden behind a very thick wall he was still the vulnerable nine-year-old boy who missed his parents like crazy and was afraid to let anyone in - afraid that if he did, they'd die on him and he'd be all alone again. But, Clark had broken through Oliver's walls and Oliver couldn't have been happier. At any rate, Oliver's talent for acting certainly came in handy in keeping his and Clark's true relationship a secret and with Oliver's help, Clark became quite good at acting as well. To the outside world, there wasn't even the slightest hint that there was anything more than friendship between the billionaire CEO and the Kansas farm boy.

Clark was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Oliver moving next to him. Smiling at his boyfriend, Clark said, "Morning Ollie."

"Morning Clark," Oliver said in a sleepy voice as he blinked a few times. "Been awake long?"

"No, not long," Clark answered.

Waking up in Oliver's arms was definitely something that Clark would never get tired of. Ever since he had turned eighteen a couple of months ago, he and Oliver woke up in each other's arms every morning – whether it was in Clark's bedroom at the farm or in Oliver's bedroom at the penthouse. Although it was usually Clark's room since he was still in school, so, they usually only slept at the penthouse on weekends.

A light knocking on the door was soon followed by Martha Kent saying, "Boys, time to wake up. Breakfast is ready," and then after a moment of silence, she added, "You have school in an hour Clark and Oliver I believe you have a conference call with the Singapore office in forty-five minutes."

Oliver and Clark smiled at one another as they both heard Martha's footsteps retreating back downstairs. Ever since they'd gotten together, Jonathan and Martha Kent had been very supportive of their relationship and after two years had essentially adopted Oliver as their own. They would never replace his real parents and they certainly had no intention of trying, but that didn't mean that Oliver didn't enjoy Clark's parents treating him like he was their son.

Running his hand through the soft blond spikes on his boyfriend's head, Clark leaned forward and quickly kissed Oliver on the tip of the nose, before pulling back and saying, "You are so gorgeous."

Leaning over, Oliver kissed the tip of the brunet's nose and said with a smug grin, "I know."

"And so full of yourself," Clark said with an amused grin.

"Hey, I can't help it if I'm hot," Oliver said.

Clark just shook his head and said, "Okay, ego stroking time is over. You heard mom – time to get up."

As much as neither of them wanted to get out of bed, they both knew that they had to, so after sharing one quick kiss they pulled themselves out of bed and began to get ready for their day. With Clark's super-speed he was done brushing his teeth, showering, and getting dressed in about two minutes to which Oliver said, "Show off," with an amused grin on his face.

Clark smiled, pinched Oliver's ass, eliciting a small yelp from the blond, as he said, "Bathroom is all yours. See you downstairs."

Oliver just shook his head as his boyfriend left the room, before he grabbed his clothes and headed into the bathroom. Clark's abilities had come as a bit of a shock to Oliver when he first found out about them, not to mention the reason why Clark had them, but that certainly didn't change the blond's feelings for the brunet. Oliver still remembers the day that Clark trusted him with his secret as if it was yesterday, which is what prompted Oliver to reciprocate Clark's trust in him by revealing his own secret.

-o-0-o-

_Oliver wasn't really sure what was going on. His renewed relationship with Clark was now a month old and for reasons he didn't understand, the three Kents told him that they had something serious to discuss with him. Sitting Oliver down on the sofa with Jonathan on his left and Martha on his right, Clark sat down on the coffee table in front of the sofa and gave his boyfriend a very serious look._

_"Ollie, we need to talk," Clark said._

_"Is something wrong, Clark?" Oliver asked. From the look on Clark's face, Oliver couldn't help the feeling washing over him that he'd done something wrong and Clark was about to break up with him. He prayed he was wrong, but, he hadn't exactly had the best experiences in the romance department, so his mind loved making the worst-case scenarios play in his head._

_"Nothings wrong, Ollie," Clark said. "There are just some things about me that you need to know. Very few people know what I'm about to tell you, but if we're going to be a couple, then I think you deserve the truth."_

_Confused, Oliver cocked his head to one side and asked, "Truth about what, Clark?"_

_"I'm not human," Clark said, deciding it was best to just cut to the chase._

_Oliver looked at Clark for a moment and then burst out laughing, as he figured that his boyfriend must be joking, because of course he was human - how could he not be human? Seeing that Clark and his parents weren't laughing, however, Oliver stopped laughing and asked, "That was a joke, right?"_

_"No, Oliver, it wasn't," Martha answered. "As you already know, Clark is adopted, but, the truth of the matter is, his biological parents are not from this planet."_

_"Wait, so, you're trying to tell me that my boyfriend is an alien from another planet?"_

_"I actually prefer intergalactic traveler," Clark said, "but, yes, I'm from another planet."_

_Seeing the look of complete disbelief on Oliver's face, Clark said, "I know this is hard to believe, because I really didn't want to believe it myself when my parents told me two years ago, but it's true."_

_"How can it possibly be true?" Oliver asked. "I mean an alien?"_

_"My ship crash-landed in a field during the meteor shower," Clark revealed. "The meteor shower was, in fact, a means of covering up my arrival on Earth. I know you don't believe me, so I guess I'll just have to show you."_

_"What do you mean show me?"_

_"Well, Oliver, Clark has several abilities that humans simply do not have," Jonathan responded._

_"Observe," Clark said as he super-sped out of the living room to the kitchen and back. Oliver's mouth dropped open in shock._

_"Super-speed is one of my abilities," Clark said. "Heat vision is another."_

_At this point, Oliver realized that when Clark had sped into the kitchen he'd grabbed a slice of bread and the blond was soon further shocked to see what looked like red laser beams shooting out of his boyfriend's eyes as he toasted the bread in his hand. Tearing the toast in half, Clark began eating one half while handing the other half to Oliver, who simply stared at it for a second before following the brunet's lead._

_"So, super-speed and heat vision," Oliver said after he'd finished his toast. "Anything else?"_

_"Yeah, I'll be back in a few minutes," Clark said before speeding out of the room._

_"How are you doing, Oliver?" Martha asked._

_"I'm okay – I think," Oliver said. "Certainly wasn't expecting to find out my boyfriend is an alien."_

_"Does it change your feelings for him?" Jonathan asked._

_"No, it doesn't," Oliver said immediately, without even a second's hesitation. "Am I shocked? Yes. Amazed? Yes. Do I still love him? Hell yes. In fact, I think I'm beginning to love him even more, which quite frankly I didn't think was even possible."_

_After a moment of silence, Oliver asked, "So, if Clark is an alien, where is his spaceship? The attic?"_

_Jonathan couldn't help but laugh at that question – seeing as how Clark had asked the same thing two years earlier. Calming down, Jonathan answered, "No, it was in the storm cellar – until Clark destroyed it before he went to Metropolis for the summer."_

_Before anyone else could say anything else, Clark was back in the living room, carrying a crowbar and a butcher knife. Oliver looked a little shocked, although Jonathan and Martha didn't look all that surprised._

_"What's with the crowbar and knife?" Oliver asked._

_Setting the knife on the coffee table, Clark handed Oliver the crowbar, and said, "As you can see, it's solid iron."_

_Testing it in his hands, Oliver nodded and said, "Yeah, it is."_

_Taking it back from the blond, Clark proceeded to bend it in half, much to Oliver's surprise. "I'm also very strong. In fact, I could lift the tractor when I was five."_

_"Ah, okay," Oliver said. "And what's the knife for?"_

_"Okay, Ollie, I need you to promise me that you aren't going to panic," Clark said as he rolled up one of his sleeves and picked up the knife._

_"Clark what are you doing?" Oliver asked, clearly scared when he saw his boyfriend holding a butcher knife over his left wrist. Oliver couldn't believe that Clark's parents were just sitting there so calmly – their son was about to slit his wrist. How could they be so calm?_

_"Don't panic," Martha said as she laid a hand on Oliver's knee and patted it. "He'll be fine."_

_Before Oliver could say anything, Clark lowered the knife and dragged the blade across his wrist. Oliver wanted to scream, but before he could open his mouth to do so, Clark was holding up the wrist he'd just slashed and Oliver was shocked to see that there was no blood and no wound._

_"I'm also practically invulnerable," Clark said after a moment of silence. "You know how I said I was afraid of needles?" Oliver nodded. "Well, that's not actually true. I'm not afraid of them because they can't pierce my skin. I've never been vaccinated for anything because I can't get shots – not that it really matters because I've never been sick a day in my life. I seem to be immune to human illnesses."_

_Oliver took a few deep breaths – he needed to calm down, as seeing his boyfriend slit his wrist had stressed him out a bit. Even if the knife hadn't injured the brunet he still needed a moment to calm his nerves._

_Finally finding his voice, Oliver said, "Okay, you're not human. Do you have any idea what you are?"_

_Clark smiled as he sat back down on the coffee table. "I'm Kryptonian."_

_"Kryptonian?" Oliver asked._

_"Yes, Ollie, Kryptonian," Clark confirmed. "My planet of origin is Krypton. My birth parents sent me to Earth because the planet was on the verge of total destruction, so they sent me here to keep me alive just before the planet ceased to exist."_

_"Wow," Oliver said after a moment. "Clark, have I told you how amazing you are? Because you are you know. Even more amazing then I previously thought."_

_Leaning forward, Oliver placed a hand behind Clark's neck and pulled him forward, pressing his lips to the younger man's. Breaking the kiss, Oliver said, "I love you, Clark Kent."_

_"I love you, too, Oliver Queen," Clark said with a smile. "There is more you should know, though."_

_"Okay," Oliver said._

_"My weakness," Clark said. "Green meteor rocks – I call them kryptonite – I'm allergic. They make me extremely sick and they can kill me if I'm exposed to them for too long."_

_"Well, then, we'll just have to keep you away from green kryptonite, now won't we?" Oliver said._

_"Yeah," Clark said. "Should probably also keep me away from red kryptonite."_

_"What does red do?" Oliver asked._

_"Relieves me of all of my inhibitions and my social conscience," Clark said. "I'll say and do things under the influence of red k that I would probably never do otherwise, although, that isn't necessarily a bad thing."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Well, you know that ring with the red stone I was wearing when we first met and how I had actually introduced myself as Kal?" Clark asked and Oliver nodded. "Well, the stone was red k. I referred to myself as Kal because that's actually my birth name – Kal-El. Anyway, while I'm not proud of everything I did while under the influence of the red k, it did bring me you."_

_"It brought you me?" Oliver asked, not understanding what Clark meant by that._

_"I've suspected since I was 14 that I was bi," Clark said, "but, I didn't really want to accept it. I've always wanted to be a normal human teenager and what with society's views on same-sex relationships, I didn't really want to accept that I was attracted to men. So, I buried the feelings and only allowed myself to think about women. Without my inhibitions, however, there was nothing standing in the way of my experimenting with my feelings. Without the red k, we probably never would have gotten together, because I wouldn't have allowed myself to give in to my attraction to you."_

_"Okay, well, then perhaps red k isn't just so bad," Oliver said. Noticing the look on Clark's face, Oliver quickly said, "That doesn't mean I want you to go exposing yourself to it all the time or anything, but I can't really hate the substance that basically got us together." Remaining silent for a moment, a thought occurred to the blond and he asked, "You do actually love me, right? I mean that wasn't a side effect of the red k?"_

_"No, that wasn't," Clark said. "I really do love you with all of my heart, Ollie. The red k didn't make me fall in love with you; it just removed the inhibitions that were preventing me from accepting that I found you attractive."_

_"Okay, then," Oliver said and in that moment, he had made the decision to trust Clark and his parents with his own secret. "Well, Clark, you've showed a lot of trust in me by telling me this and I swear I won't tell a soul. Now, since tomorrow is Saturday, I want you and your parents to come with me to Metropolis for the weekend."_

_"Why, Oliver?" Jonathan asked._

_"Because I have a secret of my own," Oliver said. "And since the three of you have trusted me enough to tell me Clark's secret, I think it's only fair that you know mine, too. It's easier to show you, though, then it would be to tell you, and I can't show you without being at my penthouse in Metropolis."_

_"Okay, then," Clark said. "Mom, dad, can we go?"_

_Jonathan looked past Oliver to his wife for a moment, and she nodded, before he said, "All right, I suppose a weekend in Metropolis might be fun."_

_Oliver smiled and said, "Okay, well, why don't the three of you pack and then we can set out for the city?"_

_Clark nodded and much to the amusement of his parents and Oliver, Clark sped out of the room and in less than two minutes, he was back, with his backpack over his shoulder, which was clearly already packed for the weekend._

_"Okay," Martha said as she shook her head and smiled, "Jonathan I think that's our cue to go upstairs and do a little packing of our own."_

_"Yeah," Jonathan said, as he stood up and followed Martha out of the room. Half-an-hour later, Oliver and Clark were in Oliver's Porsche heading for Metropolis, with Jonathan and Martha following behind in Jonathan's pick-up truck. Clark was very curious about what Oliver's big secret could possibly be and he tried to get it out of the blond more than once during the three-hour drive to Metropolis, but Oliver remained tight-lipped, absolutely refusing to reveal anything until they arrived at his penthouse in the Clock Tower._

_Finally, Oliver and the Kents arrived in Oliver's penthouse and unable to wait any longer, Clark asked, "Okay, Ollie, we're here. So what's your secret?"_

_"Well, have you seen the papers recently?" Oliver asked. "Specifically the articles about a leather-clad vigilante called the Green Arrow?"_

_"I think I did see something about that," Jonathan said. "He stole some very expensive items from members of Metropolis high society. Why?"_

_Pulling a small remote out of his pocket, Oliver pushed a button and the large clock on the wall of his penthouse split apart to reveal a room behind it, full of electronic surveillance equipment, bows, arrows, and most notably a green leather costume._

_"I'm the Green Arrow," Oliver said._

_"Oliver, why would you steal from people?" Martha asked, totally shocked and confused. "You're a billionaire."_

_"I'm not stealing as much as I'm returning these items to their proper owners," Oliver answered. Noticing the confused looks on the faces of the three Kents, Oliver added, "None of the people who I've stolen items from have called the police because none of the items I've taken were rightfully theirs'. All of it was stolen property that they knowingly bought off the black market. So, none of them call the police, because then they'd be in serious trouble themselves."_

_"So, if you know these items are stolen," Jonathan said, "why don't you just give the police an anonymous tip, so that they can retrieve the items and return them through the proper legal channels?"_

_"In a perfect world, that would work," Oliver said. "However, all of these people are very wealthy and very powerful – enough so that they are practically above the law. In a city like Metropolis, for every five good cops there's also a dirty cop who's on the payroll of several of the city's richest and most influential people. Long before a police investigation could even get off the ground, these tycoons would be informed and the stolen property they don't want anybody to know they have would be hidden and the police would never find anything._

_"So, yes, I steal from the rich," Oliver admitted. "But, is it really stealing when you're giving the items back to the people who rightfully own them? Some of the items I've taken and anonymously returned are priceless artifacts stolen from museums all over the world – such as the Met, the Tate, and the Louvre. Other items I've taken and returned were privately owned – for example I recently returned several priceless paintings to the granddaughter of a wealthy, Jewish businessman whose entire art collection was stolen by the Nazis after they locked him up in a concentration camp. Can you honestly tell me that you think it's wrong for her to get her grandfather's rightful property back?"_

_"So, you think stealing is okay, as long as it's for a good cause?" Clark asked._

_"Absolutely yes," Oliver answered immediately. Noticing the looks on Jonathan's and Martha's faces, Oliver said, "Mr. and Mrs. Kent I'll understand if you decide that you'd rather not have Clark associating with me. I love him with all of my heart, more than I've ever loved anybody in my life, but I could not in good conscience stop what I do as the Green Arrow, because I couldn't live with myself if I stood by and did nothing to try and put a stop to the corruption and injustice of this world if I knew that it was within my power to stop it."_

_Clark was the one to break the silence. "Mom, Dad, I hope you will continue to allow Oliver and me to be together. I love him with all of my heart and we did trust him with my secret. Is it really unfair of him to ask that we keep his in return? I know that stealing is wrong, although I'm not sure it's really wrong to steal stolen property and return it to its rightful owners. We've dealt with enough corrupt people – people like Lionel Luthor – who have the kind of money and influence to get away with practically anything. Do you honestly believe that if Lionel bought something off the black market and the police were given an anonymous tip that he'd done so that anything would ever actually come of it? That Lionel would ever get in trouble or that the stolen property would ever find its way back to its rightful owner?"_

_Before Jonathan or Martha could say anything, Oliver said, "I just want you all to know that even if you do decide to turn me in to the authorities or forbid Clark and I to be together, I will never betray the trust you've placed in me. I swear on the memory of my parents and everything I hold dear that I will take Clark's secret to my grave."_

_Martha smiled. "My son is dating a modern-day Robin Hood. Oliver, we trusted you with Clark's secret, so, you can trust us with yours. In the month I've known you, you've shown me that you have a good heart and while I'm not sure I agree with your activities as the Green Arrow, I'm not naïve enough to not be able to recognize the truth in your words about the reasons you do what you do. You've made Clark happier than I've ever seen him and I am not going to take that happiness away from him."_

_Jonathan sighed. A part of him really wanted to find fault in Oliver's actions because he had been raised to believe that stealing was wrong. However, he'd long ago realized that the world wasn't always black and white, that almost every situation had shades of gray and Jonathan couldn't help but feel that this was one of those situations. He would have had to be blind not to see how happy Clark had been over the last month and he couldn't bring himself to take that away from his son. "You can continue to date our son, Oliver, and we won't betray your secret."_

_Walking over to his parents, Clark pulled them into a hug and said, "Thanks Mom and Dad."_

_After a moment, Jonathan said, "Well, don't just stand there, Oliver, you're part of this family, too, so get over here."_

_Oliver smiled as he did what he was told and was soon filled with a kind of happiness that he couldn't describe as the three-way hug between the Kents became a four-way hug that included him. After so many years of being alone in the world, Oliver Queen finally had a family again._

-o-0-o-

Later that day Clark was sitting at a desk in the Torch's office reading the newest edition of the paper. That day's headline read, "Boycott the Vote!" He knew that Chloe was upset about being named one of the three candidates for Prom Queen, but to call for a boycott? Clark couldn't help but think that was taking things a little too far – which is probably why he had talked to a few people and used his popularity as the Crows' star quarterback to twist a few arms to make sure that Chloe actually won. As far as Clark was concerned, Chloe was the best person to win because Dawn Stiles was a stuck-up bitch that everyone in school pretty much hated and Paige Dejong was not much better. Okay, she was slightly more tolerable than Dawn, but not by much.

Chloe soon entered and Clark couldn't resist making fun of his friend. "Now, should I bow to you when I see you, or..."

"Cute. Very cute. What about boycotting the vote didn't anyone understand?"

"Oh, they understand it perfectly. You see, you are the boycott. I mean, think about it. The last four years, everyone has been trying to break out of the stereotype they've been stuck in. You're the battle cry."

"Oh. The great Smallville High Prom coup, huh?"

After a moment of silence, Chloe got a suspicious look on her face before she asked, "Clark, you didn't happen to have anything to do with this, did you?"

"I may have spoken to a few people," Clark admitted with a sly grin on his face, before he quickly held up the newspaper to block the pencil that Chloe threw at him.

"Now, I know you're not gonna let me storm this Bastille alone. So who is Smallville's most eligible bachelor, who isn't really a bachelor, taking to Prom? A certain blond billionaire, perhaps?"

Clark got a serious look on his face, as he said, "Chloe, not so loud!"

"Oh come on, Clark," Chloe said. "Don't you think it's time you take your relationship out of the closet?"

Clark stood and turned to look out the window, "I'd love to, but I'm not sure Ollie would be very receptive."

"Why?" Chloe said as she walked over to her friend.

"I just don't think he'll say yes," Clark said. "I mean, we've never gone on a date in public. If we ever do, I imagine it'll be awkward enough, without the entire senior class staring at us."

"Clark, you love him, he loves you, why would it be awkward?"

"Well, we have spent the last two years acting like we're nothing but friends, Chloe."

"So? You just said it – you were acting. How hard could it possibly be to act the way you do in private in public?"

When Clark didn't say anything, Chloe rested a hand on her friend's back and said, "This has nothing to do with your lack of public dates with him, does it? You're afraid."

"Chloe, don't be silly."

"You're afraid aren't you, Clark?" Chloe persisted. "Afraid how everyone is going to react when they find out that the captain of the football team is dating a guy, aren't you?"

Clark sighed. Chloe really did know him way too well for his own liking. "It's not just that, Chloe. In case you haven't noticed, Ollie is rather famous. How long do you think it'll take for our picture to be on the cover of the Daily Planet and every other newspaper coast to coast? I mean Oliver Queen dating a guy is big news."

Now Chloe understood what was wrong. She knew that her best friend had never much liked being in the public eye. He got a fair amount of attention being the Crows' star quarterback, but, that was nothing in comparison to the attention he'd get once he was linked romantically to the blond billionaire.

"Clark, I know you don't like a lot of attention," Chloe said. "But, what are you going to do? Keep up the whole "we're just friends" charade? Continue to watch him go to all the society parties with a different girl on his arm every time? Continue to hide your relationship as if it's some kind of dirty little secret?"

Clark sighed. "Chloe you know I don't want that."

"Well, then, take the initiative, Clark," Chloe said. "Ask that sexy, blond boyfriend of yours to take you to the Prom. So what if you make the front page of every paper in the country? It'll blow over after awhile, but it's better than living in constant fear that someone is going to find out that you're together. Besides, aren't you tired of the whole just friends act by now? I know you don't like lying, Clark."

Clark couldn't help but smile at his friend's words. She was right, of course. Clark really was tired of hiding his relationship with Oliver. There was so much about his life that he had to hide – like the fact that he was an alien. It would definitely be nice not to keep the love of his life on that list. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Chloe and pulled her into a hug, "You're right, Chlo. I'm going to ask him tonight."

"Good," Chloe said with a smile as she hugged her friend.

-o-0-o-

After getting out of his last class of the day, Clark grabbed what he needed from his locker for his homework, before heading out of the building. He did have to dodge a few girls who had been trying to ask him to the Prom for the last several days, as it was a well known fact at Smallville High that Clark Kent was single. Of course, that's only because that's what he wanted them to believe. Exiting the building, Clark looked towards the school parking lot and smiled as he saw his secret blond-haired boyfriend sitting behind the wheel of his Porsche Boxster S.

"Hey Oliver," Clark said with a smile as he came over to the passenger door of the expensive custom-made car. Everything about it screamed Oliver Queen, from the extensive use of Oliver's favorite color, green, to the custom license plates that said "Queen 1", to the Queen family crest that was embossed on the headrests and emblazoned in the center of all the tire rims. He paid extra for all the little personal details, but, he was a billionaire, it's not like he couldn't afford it.

"Hey Clark," Oliver said, returning his boyfriend's smile. "Your dad was detained and asked if I could pick you up today. Hope you don't mind?"

"Mind? Why would I mind?" Clark asked. "Getting a lift in your Porsche is so much cooler than dad's truck."

"Well, then hop in," Oliver said with a grin, as Clark opened the passenger door. Slipping his backpack off of his back, Clark got in the car and rested his backpack on his lap as Oliver revved the engine of his car for a minute, before backing out of the parking space and taking off out of the school lot.

If Clark or Oliver had been paying attention, they would have noticed the awed looks on several of the faces of Clark's classmates. Pretty much everyone knew that Clark was friends with the blond billionaire, as Oliver had revealed that much after Queen Industries provided the Crows with new football and cheerleading uniforms at the beginning of the school year, but for him to personally pick Clark up from school in his Porsche? Yeah, many of Clark's classmates simply couldn't help but be jealous of their star quarterback.

"So, how was your day?" Oliver asked.

"It was good," Clark answered. "Chloe is still furious about the whole Prom Queen thing."

Oliver laughed and said, "Well, I'm not surprised. What did she call it again?"

Clark grinned as he remembered what Chloe had written in the previous day's Torch and quoted, "Election of Prom royalty is an archaic and elitist ritual whose time has come and gone."

"Yeah, that sounds like Chlo, all right," Oliver said with a grin. "So, do you have a lot of homework tonight?"

"I have a chapter to read for History and I have to finish my English essay, but other than that, it's a pretty light day," Clark said. "I'm rather surprised, since the teachers usually like to inundate the seniors with work this close to the end of the year."

"Yeah, that's true," Oliver said as he thought back to his own senior year of high school at Excelsior Academy. "You know, considering my old Headmaster is your principal, I'm surprised you don't have more homework. At Excelsior I think we got more homework in that last month of school then we did that entire year."

"Well, I'm not about to complain," Clark said. "Less homework means more quality time with a certain blond that I can't get enough of."

"Oh, a certain blond, huh?" Oliver asked with a grin. "Should I be jealous?"

Deciding to play along, Clark grinned and said, "Oh yeah, definitely."

"What's so special about this blond?"

"Well, for one thing, he's rich," Clark said. "He's also sweet, romantic, and sexy as hell. Oh and did I mention he's rich?"

Oliver briefly looked at Clark and said in a mock hurt tone, "And here I thought you liked me for than my money."

Clark smiled for a minute before he burst out laughing, which was infectious because it wasn't long before his blond companion was laughing as well. After a moment, Clark stopped laughing, as he leaned over and whispered seductively in Oliver's ear, "He's also damn good in bed. The things he can do with his tongue should be illegal." Clark simply couldn't resist darting his tongue out of his mouth at this and quickly licking the blond's ear. Clark grinned as Oliver blushed slightly and had to struggle for a second to keep the car straight as he temporarily lost his concentration on driving.

"Okay, you, where to?" Oliver said after a moment, once Clark had returned to his own seat. "The farm or the penthouse?"

Clark turned and looked at Oliver for a second and saw the grin on Oliver's face as they both said, "The penthouse," in perfect unison, causing them both to laugh again. It was Friday after all, and ever since Clark had turned 18 it had become something of a ritual for him not to come home from school on Friday afternoons. His parents didn't worry because they knew he was in Metropolis with Oliver. Besides, Jonathan and Martha kind of liked it, to be honest, because it did give them some alone time, which they certainly enjoyed having now and then.

Pulling onto the highway that connected Smallville and Metropolis, the wind soon began to whip through blond and brunet hair as the Porsche sped down the road and its occupants settled into a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

-o-0-o-

Arriving at the Clock Tower around 5:30, Oliver and Clark headed up to the blond's penthouse. Sharing a quick kiss, Oliver set his briefcase on his desk and asked, "Why don't you get started on your homework and I'll make us some dinner?"

"I have all weekend for the homework," Clark said. "Are you sure you don't want some help?"

"No, that's okay," Oliver said.

"I'm not sure I trust you alone in the kitchen," Clark said, with a grin on his face that told Oliver the brunet was only kidding.

"Clark, my cooking isn't that bad," Oliver said.

"Really?" Clark asked. "Because I was thinking of buying this t-shirt I saw in a catalog recently. It said, "My boyfriend dresses to kill... and he cooks the same way.""

"Oh really?" Oliver said as he raised an eyebrow and looked at his boyfriend. Pulling out his cell phone, Oliver began to look through his calling list.

"Who are you calling?" Clark wanted to know.

"Your mom," Oliver said. "She told me to tell her the next time you insulted my cooking – she said she'd refrain from making you any pie for a month."

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Clark exclaimed immediately. "You're a great cook, Ollie, please don't call my mom."

Oliver grinned. "I swear you'll do anything for your mom's pie."

"Hey it's good pie," Clark said in his defense.

Oliver just laughed and shook his head as he put his phone away. Pulling Clark into his arms, the blond kissed him squarely on the lips and then said, "Okay, Kent - homework. I've got dinner to make."

"Can I get one more kiss first?"

"Oh I think that can be arranged," Oliver said, as he leaned in and kissed Clark again, much more passionately this time. Finally, the need for air separated the two and Oliver headed towards the kitchen, as Clark went over to one of the sofas and curled up with his History textbook.

An hour and twenty minutes later, Clark finished reading the chapter he had to read, along with his essay, and joined Oliver in the kitchen, just as the blond was putting the finishing touches on dinner. Since Oliver had his back to where Clark was standing, the brunet quietly snuck up behind the blond and wrapped his arms around him. Whispering seductively in Oliver's ear, Clark said, "Mmm... smells good."

Oliver smiled and said, "See? I can cook."

"Actually, I was referring to you," Clark said, as he ground his denim-covered semi-erect cock into his boyfriend's ass. "But, yeah, the food smells okay, too."

"Down boy," Oliver said with a grin. "There'll be plenty of time to satisfy Clark Jr later. Let's eat first."

"Good idea," Clark said. "We'll need the stamina."

With that, the two men sat down at the table in the kitchen and ate the lasagna that Oliver had prepared. Despite Clark's teasing, the blond was actually a pretty good cook. Maybe not quite as good as Clark's mom, but then, as far as Clark was concerned, that was impossible. After dinner, Oliver pulled a box out of the refrigerator and Clark instantly lit up.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah, Clark, it's your mom's apple pie," Oliver said. "She gave it to me as I was leaving the farm this morning, since she knew we'd probably be spending the weekend here, as usual."

Taking it out of the box, Oliver cut two generous slices and placed them on plates before putting the rest back in the refrigerator. Taking the pie back to the table, Oliver couldn't help but grin at Clark's enthusiasm as he'd already grabbed the fork and taken his first bite before Oliver had even managed to set the plate on the table in front of his boyfriend. Not that he could really blame Clark, because the first time Oliver had tasted Martha Kent's apple pie he realized why Clark raved about it so much – it was like a slice of heaven.

Nothing was said while the boys ate their dessert, because Oliver knew that Clark liked to savor each and every succulent bite and talking just got in the way of that. Once they'd both polished off their slices, Clark took the plates and rinsed them under the faucet before setting them on the counter.

Turning to Oliver, he said, "We can load the dishwasher later – right now I have more interesting activities in mind."

"Really?"

"Yeah, come with me Mr. Queen and I'll show you," Clark said as he grabbed the blond's hand and led him out to the main room. Once there, Oliver soon found himself being pushed down onto one of the sofas, not that he was about to complain. Clark soon straddled him and began to undo the buttons on the white dress shirt that the blond had worn to the office. While he did this, Clark began to grind his hips into the older man's, eliciting moans from both of them. Once all the buttons were undone, Clark pushed the shirt open to reveal the white undershirt beneath.

Grabbing the neck of the blond's undershirt, Clark effortlessly ripped it down the middle, so as to give his fingers access to the perfect golden flesh beneath. Oliver knew it was going to happen, as Clark had done it several times before, but the blond had long ago stopped complaining because it's not like his boyfriend didn't make it up to him and he could certainly afford more. As fingers danced and caressed their way over flesh, the brunet leaned down and captured the blond's lips in a passionate kiss which the blond was only too happy to return.

It wasn't long before the brunet's tongue was pressing against the blond's lips, begging for entrance – a request the older man was more than willing to grant. Tongues soon met and were battling for supremacy as they eagerly explored the already well-charted territory of the other's mouth. The kiss continued for several minutes, until finally the need for air forced the two lovers to part.

"Ollie, there's something I want to ask you," Clark said, as he proceeded to carefully remove the light gray suit pants the blond was wearing.

"What is it?" Oliver asked, his mind not fully aware of what was going on, as he could feel Clark's hand massaging his hard-on through the black silk of his boxers.

Taking a deep breath, Clark asked, "Oliver Queen, will you be my date to the Prom?"

Whatever Oliver was expecting Clark to ask him, it wasn't that.

When Oliver didn't say anything, Clark asked, "Ollie did you hear what I asked?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Oliver said, "Yeah, I heard."

"So, will you go to Prom with me?" Clark asked in a hopeful tone.

Oliver hated denying the brunet anything, but in this case, he felt he had no other choice. Clearing his throat, Oliver said, "No."

"No?" Clark repeated, obviously disappointed. "Why?"

"Clark, I just don't think..." Oliver started, suddenly not sure what to say. His thoughts were swirling around in his head at what he was sure was faster than the speed of light and he just couldn't keep up. Oliver knew that at some point he and Clark would be making their relationship public, but they'd never sat down and discussed when. The blond had had no idea that Clark was even thinking about the subject and the thought of attending Clark's senior Prom had certainly never crossed his mind. He had been hoping they could ease into taking their relationship public and going to a high school dance and being surrounded by all of the seniors at Smallville High, plus teachers, chaperones, and his former boarding school Headmaster turned public school principal was not his idea of easing into it.

"Don't think what, Ollie?" Clark asked - the disappointment and hurt clearly evident in his voice.

His thoughts still moving around in his head too fast for him to keep up, Oliver didn't say anything and, of course, Clark did not take the blond's silence well. Since he had talked to Chloe and decided to ask Oliver, Clark had really gotten into the whole idea of showing up at the Prom with the blond on his arm and he found that he really, really liked the idea. In fact, he liked the idea so much that combined with Oliver's history of never saying "no" to him, Clark expected the blond to say "yes" right away. So, for the blond to tell him "no" had taken him completely by surprise and it hurt. Emotional pain was, unfortunately, not something that his Kryptonian heritage protected him from and if he had to describe how he was feeling right now, he'd say that the pain of the blond's rejection hurt worse than green kryptonite.

Not able to look at the blond any longer, Clark climbed off of him and said, "I'm going home."

Those three words pierced Oliver's mind and all of his thoughts stopped, as he sat up and looked at the younger man. He had hoped that Clark thought of the penthouse as his home, just as much as the farm, so to hear Clark say otherwise felt like someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water over his head.

Unfortunately, thanks to Clark's abilities, the brunet had already packed his backpack and was ready to leave before the blond could even say anything.

"Goodbye, Oliver," Clark said, before speeding out of the penthouse. Before he left, however, he turned on Oliver's stereo and queued up a specific song to play at nearly max volume. Clark knew it was probably petty and immature, but right now he didn't really care.

_Let me know that I've done wrong  
>When I've known this all along<br>I go around a time or two  
>Just to waste my time with you<em>

_Tell me all that you've thrown away  
>Find out games you don't wanna play<br>You are the only one that needs to know_

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret  
>(Dirty little secret)<br>Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret  
>(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)<br>My dirty little secret_

_Who has to know?  
>When we live such fragile lives<br>It's the best way we survive  
>I go around a time or two<br>Just to waste my time with you_

_Tell me all that you've thrown away  
>Find out games you don't wanna play<br>You are the only one that needs to know_

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret  
>(Dirty little secret)<br>Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret  
>(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)<br>My dirty little secret_

Clark's quick departure had stunned Oliver and it took him a moment to get off the couch and head for the stereo to turn off the loud music. Of course, with his pants undone, they quickly slid down his legs and Oliver almost tripped and hit his head, but managed to keep his balance. Reaching the stereo and turning it off, Oliver collapsed on the floor nearby and gave in to the urge to cry.

_"What have I done?"_ The blond thought to himself.

_"You let your fear dictate your actions, that's what you did, Queen."_ A voice, which he knew to be his conscience, said in his head. _"And if Clark's choice of music is anything to go by, he probably thinks you want to keep your relationship with him a secret for eternity."_

_"That's not true!"_ Oliver protested in his mind. _"I love Clark and I want the whole damn world to know, but I was afraid. He only just turned eighteen a couple months ago – for our two year friendship to suddenly turn romantic would look suspicious."_

_"So what if it does, Queen?"_ His conscience was telling him. _"He's eighteen now – you can't get arrested. And now your fear may have just cost you the best thing that ever happened to you."_

_"I am such an idiot,"_ Oliver thought.

_"You won't get any arguments from me,"_ his conscience remarked.

_"Shut up!"_ Oliver thought. _"I have to make it up to him."_

_"It might be wise to give him some time to cool down,"_ his conscience warned. _"Right now, I think he's probably hurt and angry enough that he won't listen to a word you say. And unless you plan to use green kryptonite on him to force him to listen to you, there's no way he's going to if he doesn't want to."_

_"I would never do that!"_ Oliver protested.

_"I know that."_ The blond's conscience confirmed. _"I was just pointing out that if Clark doesn't want to listen..." _

_"I know, I know."_ Oliver thought. _"He's too fast – if he doesn't want to listen, he'll just run and there's no way in hell I could ever catch up."_

-o-0-o-

For the first time since Clark's eighteenth birthday, Clark and Oliver did not sleep together that night. But, even worse than that, it was the first time in a little over two years that they didn't talk to one another on the phone before going to bed. Oliver had tried to call, but he wasn't really surprised when his call went straight to voice mail. He didn't even bother calling the farm's land line, because he really didn't want to talk to Jonathan or Martha Kent – afraid that he'd get chewed out for hurting their son.

Oliver got sadder and angrier with himself with each passing day, as it became clear that Clark was avoiding him. He had tried to give the brunet space and time to cool down, but it had been a week now and there were limits to Oliver's patience – limits which were very quickly being strained to their breaking point. Finally, the blond couldn't take it anymore, so he hopped into his Porsche and made the three-hour drive from Metropolis to Smallville.

Turning into the driveway of the Kent Farm, Oliver was relieved when he saw that Jonathan's truck was missing. He prayed that meant that Jonathan and hopefully even Martha weren't home. Getting out of his car, Oliver went up to the front door and rang the bell.

After about a minute, the woman Oliver vaguely recognized as Chloe's cousin, Lois Lane, answered the door.

"Yes?" Lois asked, clearly not recognizing the blond man standing in front of her, which Oliver found rather amusing considering that he'd heard Clark say that she worked for the Metropolis Inquisitor. That tabloid rag had been the bane of the blond's existence on more than one occasion – most recently when it claimed he had eloped with a wealthy socialite that he'd never said more than two words to.

"Is Clark here?" Oliver asked.

"No, he isn't," Lois said. "I don't expect him back anytime soon – he went to Metropolis with his parents to run some errands, but if you tell me your name, I'll make sure he calls you."

"Queen... Oliver Queen."

Shock clearly written all over her face, Lois asked, "Oliver Queen? As in Oliver Queen, the billionaire CEO?" Oliver nodded. "What on Earth do you want with Smallville?"

Oliver was tempted to just tell Lois that he and Clark were friends, but it was the desire to keep their relationship a secret that had caused the rift that was currently between them, so Oliver made up his mind to tell Lois the truth – on one condition, of course.

"If I answer that question, Miss Lane," Oliver said, "you have to promise me, none of what I tell you will end up in the Inquisitor or any other publication on the planet. If it does, I'll bring a lawsuit against you faster than you can say your own name."

Lois would be lying if she said her curiosity wasn't piqued. She knew that her boss would probably kill her for agreeing, because stories about Oliver Queen sold papers, but, she really wanted to know why a billionaire like Oliver would be looking for Smallville of all people. Of course, she also wasn't keen on getting sued, and she knew that the blond billionaire had the resources to make her life very difficult. So, she said, "You have my word – I won't print anything you say."

Oliver smiled. "Good. May I come in?"

"Of course," Lois said, as she stood aside and allowed the blond to enter the house. Much to her surprise, Oliver immediately walked into the living room and made himself at home, causing Lois to get the distinct impression that this was not the first time the blond had been at the Kent Farm.

Sitting down in an armchair across from Oliver, Lois asked, "So, how do you know Clark?"

Oliver took a deep breath and then said, "He's my boyfriend."

Lois' mouth dropped open at that statement and for a minute she looked very much like a fish out of water. Whatever she was expecting the blond to say, that was definitely not it. Finding her voice, Lois asked, "Your boyfriend? Smallville is gay?"

Oliver smiled. While he had never met Lois before today, he did know about her relationship with Clark and that she insisted on calling him Smallville most of the time. "No, actually, he's bisexual, as am I."

"Wow, I never would have thought," Lois said, clearly surprised at this side of Clark that he had never shared with her. "How long have you two been together?"

"A little over two years," Oliver replied.

"Wait a minute, two years?" Lois asked. "Clark is only 18 – that means you got together when he was..."

"16, yes," Oliver confirmed. "And I was 22."

"How did you two meet?"

"How much do you know about the summer Clark turned 16?" Oliver countered.

"Well, I know that his parents lost a baby and he blamed himself for it," Lois said, "and that he spent the summer in Metropolis. That's about it, though."

"Well, we met in a nightclub," Oliver said. He specifically left out the name of the club, as he was sure Lois would recognize that it was an over-21 club. There were, however, a handful of clubs in Metropolis that allowed 16 year olds in, as long as they didn't try to order any alcohol, so he was hoping that Lois would assume it was one of them and not ask for a name. "We hit it off and started hanging out. We were quick friends and by the end of the summer, we were head over heels in love with each other."

"No offense meant, but you look like a reasonably intelligent man. How could you have allowed yourself to fall in love with a 16-year-old?"

It was a valid question. He just hoped he didn't regret giving Lois the truthful answer – well, almost truthful. "Well, Clark wasn't exactly honest with me about his age. He let me believe that he was 18 – had the fake id to prove it." Actually, Clark had led Oliver to believe that he was 22 and that's what his id said, but the blond figured that Lois did not need to know that.

"Smallville lied about his age and has a fake id?" Lois asked. She was too shocked by this information to even think about asking Oliver for the name of the club they'd met in. She just couldn't get her head around the fact that the farm boy had not only lied about his age and possessed a fake id, but that he was dating one of the richest men in the world and had been the entire time that she'd known him. All this time she'd thought he was hung up on Lana Lang, but now Lois knew that wasn't the case. After all, anyone with half a brain in their head would hands down pick Oliver over Lana any day.

"And Mr. and Mrs. Kent allowed you to date Smallville?"

"Yes," Oliver said. "On condition that we not consummate our relationship until Clark turned 18 – waiting wasn't easy, but it was definitely worth the wait."

"Okay, too much information," Lois said. Although a part of her was seriously tempted to ask for more details. After all, the first time they'd met, Clark was completely naked, so Lois knew that the farm boy had an amazing physique under all that flannel he tended to wear. Lois had never seen the blond before her without any clothes on and definitely would not pass up to the opportunity if it arose, but she had a feeling that he was just as well endowed as Clark. That's why she didn't really want more information, because the mere thought of those two together was enough to make her blush redder than the Kent's barn and blushing was not something that she particularly enjoyed doing.

Shaking her head, Lois said, "So, what brings you here tonight? Did you and Smallville have a date he forgot about?"

Frowning slightly, Oliver answered, "No, we haven't been speaking to one another – I was hoping to make up."

"You had a fight?" Lois asked and the blond nodded. "What was it about, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Well, Clark thinks it's time we make our relationship public," Oliver replied. "We hadn't discussed it, so I didn't even know that he'd been thinking about it, until he just came right out and asked me to be his date to his senior Prom. I was so shocked by the question and a little scared about our first public date being at such a public event, that I freaked and said no. That was a week ago and he's been avoiding me ever since."

"Hmm, well, that'd explain the funk he's been in all week," Lois said. "He usually makes an effort to at least try to come up with snappy comebacks to my insults, but this past week, it's like he just doesn't care about anything."

"I haven't been much better," Oliver said. "I've been so distracted lately that I nearly blew a business deal I've been working on for months – nearly cost Queen Industries half a billion dollars. If I wasn't the majority shareholder, I'd be seriously worried that the board would fire me – as my performance has been dismal at best."

"So, Smallville is miserable and you're miserable," Lois said. "Well, then, let's get "Operation Get Clark and Oliver Back Together" started, shall we?"

"You want to help get us back together?"

Lois looked slightly affronted by the blond's question. "Hey, don't look so shocked, rich boy. Just because we act like we hate each other, doesn't mean we actually do. It's just the way our relationship works. That doesn't mean, however, that I want Smallville to be miserable and if being with you makes him happy, then you need to get back together because I can't take anymore of the moping farm boy that I've had to deal with lately. Now, here's the plan."

Lois then proceeded to lay out a plan to the blond to get him back together with the brunet and Oliver had to admit, she was good at plotting. Even though Clark wasn't home, for the first time in a week, Oliver began to feel happy again, as he realized that with the help of one Lois Lane, he might actually stand a chance of getting the love of his life back.

-o-0-o-

Two days passed and finally it was the night of the Smallville High Senior Prom. Lifehouse was performing tonight, compliments of Lex Luthor. Clark knew it was probably Lex's way of trying to one-up Oliver, because at the beginning of the school year, the blond had found out about Lex's intention to provide the Smallville High football team, as well as the cheerleaders, with brand new uniforms – all featuring the LuthorCorp logo on the shoulder. Unfortunately for Lex, he ended up wasting his money, because Oliver hired a clothing company and paid them to work overtime, to get Crows uniforms made, all sporting the Queen Industries logo, before Lex's could get finished. Normally, Oliver probably wouldn't have cared, but since his boyfriend was the starting quarterback, he was determined that the Crows' new uniforms, specifically the one which said Kent on the back, would not bear the LuthorCorp logo.

Looking up from his place at the kitchen counter, Clark smiled as his parents came down the stairs, dressed in formalwear, ready for their night as Prom chaperones.

"Hey, you guys look great," Clark said with a smile.

"Clark, the only reason we agreed to be chaperones was because of you," Martha said.

Clark grinned. "I know it's a little backwards. My parents are going to the Prom and I'm staying home to wait up for them."

As Jonathan tried, in vain, to tie his tie, he said, "Son, when you're older, we don't want you to look back on high school and regret not going to the Prom."

"Dad, I'm not sure standing by the punch bowl and watching bad dancing is a memory I'm gonna cherish."

Jonathan chuckled as his wife swatted his hands away and went about tying his tie for him. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Clark," he said as Martha finished with his tie. "I'll bring the truck around."

Once Jonathan was gone, Martha looked at her son and said, "I know why you're not going tonight."

Clark sighed. "Am I that transparent?"

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" Martha countered. "You've been moping around here for a week now and there's been no sign of Oliver. You asked him, didn't you?"

"When I was a freshman, I remember standing outside and watching the seniors going into Prom, the guys in their tuxes and the girls in their dresses. At the time, I assumed that'd be Lana and me someday, but that all changed the second I met Oliver. I had it all planned. We'd show up on each other's arms in matching tuxes, finally making our relationship public, dance the night away and have a wonderful time. Never in my fantasies did I ever think Ollie would say no to going with me, but he did. So, if I can't go with him, I'd just rather not go."

"Oh Clark – things don't always end up the way you picture them, but sometimes they can end up even better if you give them a chance." Smiling slyly, Martha added, "If you change your mind, I put your tux by the door."

"You rented me a tux?"

Martha nodded and said, "Just in case."

Clark was touched by the gesture. "Mom..."

The sound of the horn on Jonathan's truck cut the brunet off. Martha pulled her son into a quick hug, before heading outside. Clark smiled to himself, despite the pain of the last week. Once his parents were gone, Clark was just about to head upstairs to his bedroom, when there was a knock on the door. Clark's mouth dropped open in shock when he answered the door and was greeted by the sight of Lois Lane standing there. She was wearing a strapless pink Prom dress, complete with matching earrings, corsage, and purse.

Pushing past Clark and into the house, Lois asked, "Well? How do I look?"

"It looks like you're going to the prom."

"I am," Lois confirmed. "And you're taking me! I'm not going to let you sit around moping all night about that blond idiot, while your parents go out and do the electric boogaloo all night. Come on, it'll be fun."

Realizing what Lois said, Clark asked, "Blond idiot?"

"Yes, Clark, I mean your boyfriend," Lois said. She laughed at the look on the farm boy's face. "Oh don't look so shocked. I have eyes you know. You've been moping around here for days and in case you forgot I spent the night in your room. You really should find a more creative place to hide your love letters than under your pillow. It's the first place anyone with half a brain would look. Of course, considering that it's you, I'm not that surprised."

"Lois, I'm not going."

"Oh yes you are Smallville," Lois said. "I missed my own Prom and I've regretted that ever since. I'm not going to allow you to repeat my mistake. Now, be a good farm boy and go put on your tux. You're going to your Prom whether you like it or not. End of discussion."

"Lois..." Clark began to protest.

The change in Lois was almost instant and Clark couldn't help but cower away from her in fear. She was, after all, doing a very good impression of her father and that was just scary. "I said move, soldier! That's an order! Go put on your tux, or I will make you wish you had never been born, you maggot!"

"Channeling the General now?" Clark asked.

"GO!" Lois said and Clark grabbed the tux from where his mother had put it and ran upstairs to put it on. In his haste to get away from Lois, he almost slipped up and put on a burst of super-speed. Thankfully, he caught himself at the last moment. One thing was for certain though. Much like her cousin Chloe, Lois Lane angry was a very scary sight – even to a super-powered, invulnerable alien.

-o-0-o-

"Come on, Chloe. You can do this."

Walking into the gymnasium, Chloe searched the room, desperately hoping to find a familiar face. She had really been looking forward to Prom, even though she didn't have a date. As she had told Lana the day the article slamming the whole Prom Queen election came out, the way she figured it, Homecoming was for the jocks, Graduation was for the parents, and Prom was the right of passage for everyone else – the culmination of four years of memories. Of course, much of her enthusiasm had died when she found out that she was one of the candidates for Prom Queen – oh the horror. A part of her was seriously tempted not to show up at all, but she did anyway, and now she just hoped that she'd be able to find a few friendly faces.

Looking around the room, she smiled when she caught sight of Clark and walked over to him. "Hey. Haven't we done this before?"

Clark smiled at his best friend. "Well, maybe this time we won't have any natural disasters."

"I'm really surprised that you made it," Chloe said. "I was sure that with a certain blond's rejection, you'd be a no show."

"Yeah, well, I figured I had to come. While I don't think I'd regret missing the Prom much, not seeing you with a crown on your head would definitely be something I'd regret for the rest of my life."

Chloe rolled her eyes at her best friend. "I'm glad you're here."

"Yeah, well, I didn't have a choice. General Lane made sure of that."

Confused, Chloe asked, "My uncle?"

Shaking his head, Clark said, "No, your cousin."

"Smallville," Lois said as she sidled up next to Clark and handed him a glass of punch, "you're not being a very good escort. It's the man who's supposed to get a drink for the lady, not the other way around."

Clark grinned and said, "Really? Okay, well, I'll keep that in mind next time I see a lady."

Before Lois could respond, a woman who all the students recognized as the Assistant Principal, Ms. Glover, came onto the stage and interrupted Lifehouse's set. "Excuse me, everybody! Excuse me!" Turning to the band, she smiled and said, "Thanks guys," before turning back to the students to say, "If I could just get your attention for a moment. Thank you. It is time for the big announcement."

Looking at Clark and Lois, Chloe said, "Okay, if by some weird reason I win, the tiara burning party is at my house."

"Count me in," Lois said with a grin.

"You voted and the results are in," Ms. Glover said. "This year's Smallville High Prom Queen is..."

The whole student body was listening excitedly as a drum roll echoed throughout the room. Chloe couldn't help but smirk when she saw both Dawn Stiles and Paige Dejong getting ready to head up on stage – both certain that they'd be the winner. Of course, Chloe was hoping one of them would be, simply because she did not want to be Prom Queen. It seems that the fates, however, were not on her side.

"Chloe Sullivan!" Ms. Glover exclaimed. "Come on up here, Chloe!"

"Congratulations," both Lois and Clark said to Chloe in unison.

Walking up on stage, Chloe couldn't help but notice the angry looks on the faces of both Dawn and Paige, but she never would have expected what came next. Walking onto the stage, Chloe forced herself to smile as Ms. Glover placed the tiara on her head. Seconds later, however, it was being ripped off by Paige, as she screamed, "The crown is mine, bitch!"

"Miss Dejong!" Ms. Glover exclaimed, obviously angry.

"Oh shut up, you old hag!" Paige said, as several members of the student body screamed as Paige pulled a gun out of her purse. Turning to the student body and waving the gun, Paige screamed, "How could you make this worthless piece of scum Prom Queen? There's so many people way more deserving than this skank."

"Yeah people like me," Dawn Stiles said from her place near the steps up onto the stage.

Turning toward Dawn, Paige looked at her with a look of disgust on her face, "No, Dawn, you never deserved the crown and despite your delusions, you never stood a chance. Everyone in this school hates you. You're the queen-bitch control freak – there's no way anyone would elect you Prom Queen, but they certainly shouldn't have made Chloe Sullivan Prom Queen, over me."

Clark was fighting with himself. On the one hand, he desperately wanted to charge the stage and save his best friend from their obviously insane classmate. On the other hand, he also didn't want to reveal his abilities to the entire senior class. Thankfully, he didn't have to do anything, because while Paige continued ranting, one of the security guards who'd accompanied Lifehouse that evening, snuck up behind Paige and in one quick motion had the gun out of her hand and had her knocked unconscious. The student body cheered, as the security guard picked Paige up and followed Ms. Glover out of the gymnasium, heading for the office, where Ms. Glover could call the sheriff.

At this point, Lifehouse's lead singer bent over and picked up the tiara from the floor and handed it to Chloe. She just smiled and took it, though she didn't put it back on her head. Turning to the student body, she said, "Well, I'm sure you all know I didn't really want this crown and I still don't. However, you elected me your Prom Queen, so I guess I have no choice but to deal with it. Anyway, now that Paige is gone, I suggest that we remember we're here to have fun and have some."

Within minutes, Lifehouse was playing again and the students were dancing as if the whole gun incident hadn't even happened. Turning towards Lois as Lifehouse began to play a slow song, Clark said, "You know, I was thinking since you did get all dressed up and you came here with me... you should at least get a dance out of it."

Clark wasn't facing the gym entrance, so he didn't see the new arrival, but Lois did. "Chivalry noted, but I'm not the one you want to dance with, Clark." At the confused expression on his face, Lois smiled and pointed towards the entrance, "He is."

Clark turned to look where Lois was pointing and couldn't believe his eyes. Standing in the doorway, wearing a black tuxedo with a green bow tie and cummerbund, a white rose in his lapel, and a long white silk scarf hanging around his neck, was none other than Oliver Queen.

Looking at the brunet just standing there like a statue, Lois pushed him and said, "Oh for heaven's sake, Smallville, go to him already!"

As Clark made his way towards the entrance, several of the other students noticed the newcomer.

Harmony, one of Dawn's friends, gasped and asked, "Isn't that Oliver Queen? What is he doing here?"

Turning to look, a smile came to Dawn's face. She may have lost Prom Queen, but maybe tonight wouldn't be a total loss after all. Not even sparing her boyfriend a glance, Dawn said, "Billy, we're over."

"What?" Billy asked. "You're breaking up with me? At the Prom?"

"Sorry, but, you just can't compete with a gorgeous, blond billionaire," Dawn said as she walked away.

Walking over to Oliver, Dawn smiled at him, and said, "Hello handsome."

Smiling, Oliver said, "Hello."

"May I have this dance?" Dawn asked, completely confident that Oliver would accept. In her mind at least, she was God's gift to mankind, after all. What man in their right mind wouldn't want her?

"What's your name?" Oliver asked, politely, as he noticed Clark coming over.

"Dawn Stiles."

"Well, I'm sorry, Miss Stiles," Oliver said, "but my dance card for the night is already full and I don't see that changing anytime soon."

Leaving Dawn standing there shocked that she had just been turned down, Oliver closed the distance between Clark and himself.

"You came," Clark said, clearly amazed.

"Yeah, I did," Oliver said. "I was an idiot to say no. I let my fear get in the way and I hurt you. I'm sorry, Clark. Can I have this dance?"

Clark looked at Oliver's outstretched hand for a second, before he smiled and took it. "Of course."

Several people who were standing nearby gasped as Oliver Queen, one of the richest and arguably one of the most handsome men in the world, leaned down and kissed the hand of their star quarterback, before the two of them started dancing – way too close to be doing so as just friends.

Oliver and Clark, however, didn't notice as they only had eyes for each other. Had they been paying attention, they would have noticed that all the other students had stopped dancing and had gathered around in a circle, watching as the two men danced.

Oliver smiled at Clark, whose hands were wrapped possessively around the blond's waist. In this moment, all of Oliver's fear about making his relationship with Clark public evaporated. He didn't care who knew that they were together. All that mattered was that they were together. Removing the scarf from his neck, Oliver threw it over Clark's head and used it to pull the brunet in for a searing kiss, their tongues dancing around in each other's mouths.

After a minute, they parted and Clark smiled at the blond. "I love you, Ollie."

Smiling, Oliver said, "Not as much as I love you."

Before Clark could protest, Oliver pulled him in for another kiss.

Oliver knew they'd probably be on the front cover of every paper in the morning, but he honestly didn't care.

Clark was his. And he didn't care who knew.

-o-0-o-

The End.


End file.
